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:;'«''-' V:<-:'';r t -;'?r: 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



THE 

BOYS IN BLUE 



OF 



1861-1865 

A CONDENSED HISTORY WORTH 
PRESERVING 




A. C. LEONARD, Published 

LANCASTER, PA. 

Past Commander of Post 405, G. A. R. 

Company F, 54th Regt., P. V. 



UbS 




1904 



OoByrltfit Entry / 
/ --• . mJ r 

CLASS Q XXo. No. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1904, by 

A. C. Leonard, in the office of the Librarian of 

Congress, at Washington, D. C. 



Press or 
The New Era Printing Com 
Lancaster. Pa, 



DEDICATED 

TO THE 

GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC, UNION VETERAN 
LEGION, NAVAL VETERANS, UNION EX-PRISONERS 
OP WAR ASSOCIATION, SONS OF VETERANS, SPANISH 
WAR VETERANS, UNITED AMERICAN MECHANICS, P. 
O. S. OF A., WOMEN'S RELIEF CORPS, LADIES OF 
THE G. A. R., LADIES' AID SOCIETY, DAUGHTERS OF 
VETERANS AND KINDRED PATRIOTIC ORGANIZA- 
TIONS, IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE THOUSANDS OF 
PATRIOTS WHO GAVE UP THEIR LIVES IN REBEL 
PRISONS, PREFERRING 

"DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR." 




LEST WE FORGET. 



*T* HE BOYS IN BLUE " is published, 

^_ ' not with a desire to keep alive the 

J animosity engendered by the Civil 

War (perish the thought !), but with "malice 

to none, " as an object lesson in patriotism and 
reminder of what thousands of the rank and 
file of the great Army of the Republic endured, 
in order that the present and future genera- 
tions might continue to enjoy the blessing of 



ONE COUNTRY AND ONE FLAG. 




CONTENTS, 

PAGE 

War's Alarm 13 

On to Washington 19 

A Contrast Between Rebel Prisons 21 

Gilmore's Guerrillas 25 

Spitzfadden 26 

Averell in Pursuit 31 

Belle Isle 34 

Anderson villi: 38 

Captain Henri Wertz 42 

Gang of Thieves 45 

Small-pox 50 

Providence Spring 51 

Congressional Committee Reports 54 

The Hospitai 58 

Glad Tidings 61 

Anderson ville To-day 67 

Peace 71 

The Grand Army of the Republic 73 

Stars and Stripes 75 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Abraham Lincoln Frontispiece 

Firing on Fort Sumter 11 

Rallying Around the Flag 18 

Libby Prison 24 

" Who Comes There ? " 28 

Belle Isle 35 

Andersonyille 39 

Shot at the Dead Line 41 

Hanging of Captain Wertz 44 

Tunneling Out 48 

Hunting Escaped Prisoners 50 

Discovery of "Providence Spring" 52 

Providence Spring To-day 55 

The Chain Gang 59 

Florence Prison Pen 62 

Andersonyille Cemetery 65 

Peace 70 

The Grand Army of the Republic 74 

The Stars and Stripes 77 




CO 

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cc 

LL 



WAR'S ALARM. 



Al PRIL 12th, 1861, the whole country was star- 
ytmmgk , ' (M ' by the news thai the Secessionists, aim- 
^rr^ f ing at the life of the < lovernment, had fired 
on Fort Sumter. 

The alarm was quickly sounded, and in response to 
President Lincoln's call for 75,000 flag defenders, 
issued April loth, recruiting stations were opened, 
military camps established, and the music of fife and 
drum was heard throughout the loyal states. 

Men of every business, profession and calling cast 
aside the pursuits and pleasures of life, and thronged 
to the field, determined that the Union should not 
be dissolved and our starry banner trailed in the dust. 

The conflict assuming greater proportions than was 
at first supposed, it became necessary for Mr. Lincoln 
to issue other calls for troops, as follows : May 3d, 
1861, 500,000; July 2d, 1862, 300,000; August 4th, 
1802, 300,000 ; October 17th, 1863, 300,000; February 
1st, 1864, 200,000; March 14th, 1864, 200,000; July 
18th, 1864,500,000; December 19th, 1864,300,000; 
186,000 colored troops being included in the above 
calls, in addition to which State Militia to the number 
of 15,000 were called out for short periods, to meet 
critical emergencies, making the whole number of 

[ 13] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

men called to arms, two million six hundred and 
ninety thousand. 

" Theirs not to make reply, 
Theirs but to do and to die." 

Not that these self-sacrificing men loved war more 
than peace, but because their country's welfare was 
above every other consideration. 

" Their's was a patriotism that was heroic, 
A heroism that was patriotic." 

In proof of which the official records show that 
65,000 of the number were killed in battle, 40,000 
were mortally wounded, 11)0,000 died of disease con- 
tracted in the line of duty, 60,000 perished in rebel 
prisons or soon after being released therefrom, while 
250,000 more were disabled for life. So that it may 
truthfully be said, that every star and stripe on our 
Nation's banner lias been bathed in the loyal blood 
of the men who bared their breasts to the shot and 
shell of those who would supplant it with another. 

Then too, during the forty years that have come 
and gone since peace was declared, the unerring sharp- 
shooter death has kept up a continual firing on the 
surviving sons of the Union, picking off thousands 
upon thousands of the rank and file each twelve 
months, the (Commissioner of Pensions estimate for 
1904 being 60,000 and in the same time almost every 

[ 14] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

one of the more prominent leaders in that great strug- 
gle for national existence, have passed away. 

The immortal Lincoln, who on the 1st day of 
January, 1863, with a single stroke of his pen, 
abolished the human auction block and the slave 
driver's lash. 

Grant, who would ''right it out on this line, if it 
takes all summer." 

Hancock, "the superb.'' 

" Black Jack " Logan. 

Franz Sigel, whom the German soldiers fairly 
idolized. 

Meade and Reynolds of < Jettysburg fame. 

" Pap " Thomas, " the rock of Chickamauga." 

Sherman, who " marched to the sea," and on De- 
cember 21st, 1864, telegraphed President Lincoln 
offering as a Christmas gift "the City of Savannah 
and its contents." 

" Fighting Joe" Hooker. 

"Little Mack." 
Farragut, who notwithstanding the great danger 
of so exposed a position, lashed himself to the mast of 
his vessel at Mobile Bay, that he might the better 
direct the movements of his fleet. 

Ben Butler, who earned for himself the eternal 
enmity of Southern sympathizers, by compelling them 
to march under and salute the Stars and Stripes. 

" Dashing Phil " Sheridan, who inspired his retreat- 

[ 15] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

ing men to renewed action and victory, by his magical 

command, 

" Face the other way boys, 

Face the other way," 

and who when asked where his headquarters were 

replied : 

" Always in the saddle, Sir, 

Always in the saddle." 

Mulligan, who when being carried mortally wounded 
from the field of battle, said " Men, lay me down and 
save the flag." 

( Jovernor Dix of New York, whose famous order, 
"If any man attempts to tear down the flag of the 
Union, shoot him on the spot," caused his name to be 
written on the scroll of undying fame. 

These and a host of others have answered the final 
summons of the Great ( 'ommander of the Universe. 

" Peace to their ashes." 



[ 16] 




RALLYING AROUND THE FLAG 



ON TO WASHINGTON. 



*T* HE Regiment, in which the writer enlisted in 
——— 1861, at the as;e of 16 years, was ordered to 
^=21 Washington, D. G, February 27th, 1862, 
thence to Harper's Ferry, Virginia, and attached to the 
3d Brigade, 2d Division, 8th Corps, Department of West 
Virginia, being stationed by companies along the Bal- 
timore & Ohio Railroad for a distance of sixty miles, 
in order to prevent the guerrillas under Gilmore, 
White and Imboden from committing depredations 
upon the only line of railroad over which it was pos- 
sible for the eastern army to obtain supplies or rein- 
forcements. 

In September of the same year the enemy having 
defeated McClellan on the Peninsula, and Pope at 
Bull Run, advanced into Maryland, and all the other 
Union forces having been withdrawn into Pennsylva- 
nia, the Regiment was for several days the only gov- 
ernment troops south of "Mason and Dixon's line," 
and notwithstanding the fact that we were surrounded 
by the enemy, Ave held our position until reinforce- 
ments arrived when the "rebs" were driven back. 

A_gain, in June, 1863, General Kelley commanding 
the Department removed all of his men across the 
Potomac into Maryland with the exception of our 

[ 19] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

Regiment, which as before was left on the Virginia 
side as a check to the enemy's advance. We also 
served under Generals Sigel, Hunter and Crook, as 
well as with Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley, 
then under ( rrant in the Army of the James till the 
surrender of Lee at Appomattox Court House. 



[ 20 ] 



A CONTRAST. 



I 



X this narrative of rebel prison life it is not 
the intention to follow the beaten path by 
telling about the oft written and much 
talked of " Libby," where for the most part com- 
missioned officers were incarcerated, and which was 
no doubt a miserable enough place of habitation, but 
we purpose informing our readers concerning the 
thousand fold more horrible slaughter pens, Belle Isle 
and Andersonville, where private soldiers and non- 
commissioned officers were confined, the difference 
between prison houses and prison pens being that the 
first named afforded at least a board floor to lie upon, 
and a roof and four walls as a protection from the in- 
clement weather, while the latter consisted of mother 
earth for a bed and the broad canopy of heaven for a 
covering. 

The Hon. James G. Blaine evidently knew of this 
distinction when he declared, in a public address, that 

"The history of the world can show no greater heroism, 

nor truer patriotism, 
Than that displayed by the inmates of 

Southern prison pens." 



There is a maxim of old that ''it's sweet to die for 

[ 21 ] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

one's country," but who would not rather be shot to 
death on the field of battle, in sight of the dear old 
flag, than to die by the slow process of starvation, sur- 
rounded by misery indescribable ? 

"The bright side of life in Libby Prison" is the 
title of a lecture that has been delivered throughout 
the country, by a gentleman who was there, but while 
I am aware of the fact that there is a trite saying, 
" Blessed is the man who makes one to smile," I 
cannot lay claim to that benediction in connection 
with this recital of the blackest page in the history of 
the Civil War, for nothing ever occurred within the 
stockades of Belle Isle and Andersonville that could 
cause even the faintest evidence of pleasure. Sorrow 
and only sorrow abounding on every hand, the half 
of which can never be told. 



[ 22] 




LIBBY PRISON 



GILMORE'S GUERRILLAS. 



*T* HE morning of Tuesday, February 2d, 1864, 
i found our company of 60 men encamped on 

gggsa f the south bank of the Potomac River, at 
Patterson Creek, West Virginia, 65 miles distant 
from Harper's Ferry. 

The single picket had just been posted on the 
public road when he saw in the distance a body of 
horsemen dressed in the uniform of Union Soldiers, 
and it having been generally known that AverelTs 
Command of Union Cavalry was in the immediate 
neighborhood, the sentry naturally supposed these to 
be the advance guard of that organization and per- 
mitted them to approach, which they did in a very 
leisurely manner, until within hailing distance, when 
just as the unsuspecting picket was in the act of bring- 
ing his musket to a '' charge'' with the challenge " who 
comes there " a dozen revolvers were quickly drawn 
and leveled at his head with the command, in lan- 
guage more forceable than polite, " lay down that 
gun or die,*' and it is needless to say that he did the 
only thing possible under the circumstances, though 
even then he thought he was being made the victim 
of a practical joke, but soon discovered that men are 
not always what they appear to be, for those sneaking 

[25] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

cowards who bad not the courage to fight on an open 
field of battle, nor even approach a picket post in 
their true colors, turned out to be a portion of the 
notorious Harry Gilmore's band of guerillas, and in a 
few minutes the main body, some GOO strong, came in 
sight, when with drawn sabers the entire force dashed 
down on the camp, where all unconscious of danger the 
men were partaking of their usual breakfast, and after 
a sbort but desperate struggle, the captain realizing 
that further resistance against such odds only meant 
the annihilation of his entire command, surrendered 
to Gilmore, who at once cut the telegraph wires, set 
fire to the railroad bridge and our company quarters, 
rifled each man's pockets and started us off in the 
direction of Staunton. We had not gone far however, 
when our aged company cook becoming exhausted 
and unable to continue the forced march, was shot 
dead and his body left by the roadside. 

SPITZFADDEN 

for that was the cook's outlandish name, Avas an odd 
character generally speaking, and never should have 
enlisted, but having done so it soon became evident 
that for carrying a gun he was a complete failure, and 
he would long since have been discharged and sent 
home, but for the fact that his plea of extreme poverty 
prevailed with the captain, and being in need of a 

[26] 




HALT, WHO COMES THERE? 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

company cook he was given that position, which it 
must be said to his credit he filled in a very satisfac- 
tory manner, with the exception that he was ex- 
tremely untidy in appearance, which was all the more 
pronounced owing to the fact that he persistently re- 
fused to draw his allotments of clothing, preferring to 
get along as best he could in order that he might have 
a snug sum of cash to his credit at the expiration of 
his term of service, the rule of the government being 
to pay cash in lieu of undrawn annual allowances, 
his very plausible excuse being that he would only 
ruin new clothes at his work, which was very true, as 
he was in no wise careful not to soil his garments, tor 
had he oceasion to lift a black pan or kettle from the 
fire his always handy eap was used for the purpose, 
likewise when his hands became soiled from handling 
the indispensable "salt horse," or pork, there was 
nothing more natural than for '' Spitz" to wipe them 
on his cap, blouse or pants, so that as may be sup- 
posed, after a year's service he was a veritable man of 
soot and grease, and we frequently told him that if he 
did not clean up and get another uniform we would 
get another cook, but he well knew that this was im- 
possible, as no other member of the company would 
accept the place, so we had to tolerate him, and mat- 
ters went on in this fashion until one morning as we 
gathered about the campfire for our usual allowance of 
colfee and hardtack, what was our surprise to see the 

[29] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

old cook minus his cap and in a great rage, declaring 
that some one had stolen his headgear, and in spite of 
our suggestion that this would be impossible, owing 
to the fact that he never took it off his head unless to 
use as a pot lifter, he refused to be comforted, and 
though we promised to buy him a new cap if he would 
give us our coffee, he would not be bribed, and in 
spite of all we could say persistently refused to hand 
out our breakfast until his own cap was returned to 
him ; consequently the pot continued to boil while a 
half hundred hungry men expostulated in vain, for 
it must be remembered that the cook had almost 
supreme control over the mess kettles, until finally 
goaded to desperation by our long fast and the allur- 
ing odor of the Li soldier's beverage," patience ceased 
to be a virtue and the boys with one accord took 
matters into their own hands and helped themselves, 
while Spitz went off to report his grievance to the Cap- 
tain. But imagine, if you can, our discomfort when 
as the last tin of coffee was drank with a relish, our 
eyes beheld in the bottom of the kettle, all boiled to 
pieces, the remnants of the cook's miserable old cap, 
it having no doubt dropped from his shaggy, un- 
kempt head unnoticed during the darkness of the 
early morning. 



[ 30 ] 



AVERELL IN PURSUIT. 



j\ FTER proceeding on our unwilling tramp for 
BSSg several miles, Gilmore received word through 
-^T® ! his scouts that Gen. Averell was in pursuit 
with a view to our recapture, whereupon the guerrilla 
leader ordered his men to trot their horses, and 
"cut down the first prisoner who fails to keep up," 
it being very evident that the aim of our captor 
was to reach the not far distant Blue Ridge Moun- 
tain before Averell could overtake him, well know- 
ing that he could then bid defiance to superior num- 
bers, and with that object in view we were driven 
along over rough roads, hills, and through streams of 
water, until footsore, and more dead than alive, we 
arrived at the base of the mountain, then up its 
rugged side we were hurried until the summit had 
almost been reached, when firing was heard in the 
rear, and casting our eyes back there was Averell 
pitching into the Johnny rebs' rear guard, at the 
sight of which, notwithstanding our feeble condition, 
we longed to give vent to our feelings in three cheers 
for Averell, in fact we felt like crying out in the lan- 
guage of the poet : 

[31 ] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

" Our flag is there, our flag is there, 
Let's greet it with three loud huzzas, 
Our flag is there, our flag is there, 
Behold the glorious stripes and stars." 

But we did not do so for the very good reason that 
" our friends the enemy," anticipating our inclination, 
informed us in most emphatic language that if we 
wanted to "hand in our checks" all we had to do 
was make an outcry, and having no desire to die just 
then, with friends and flag so near as to give hope of 
speedy release from captivity, we sealed our lips and 
held our peace. 

It was not long however until Averell, seeing that 
on account of the advantageous position of the enemy, 
no assistance could be rendered us, withdrew and re- 
traced his steps. Gilmore at the same time turning 
to us tauntingly said, " Yanks, your folks are leaving; 
better take a last look at them." 

There proved to be far more "truth than poetry" 
in those heartless words, for only seven of the Com- 
pany of sixty men returned to those who were near 
and dear to them. 

With the departure of Averell we determined to 
"Stare fate in the face," and make the best of the 
situation, and a body of "home guards" that had 
been sent out from Staunton to meet us, arriving on 
the scene the guerrilla chief turned his prisoners over 

[32] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

to them, while he went in quest of other prey, and 
we readied Staunton that evening, where a small 
room in a vacant house served as a place of confine- 
ment for the night, and the next morning we were 
hustled oft' to Richmond, where a motley crowd of 
citizens had assembled at the Station, and we were 
plied with all manner of questions concerning the 
war and its probable outcome, our answers of course 
being of the most flowery sort. 

After a short stay in the Capitol City we were sent 
into exile on that most cruel place of incarceration of 
modern times. Belle Isle. 



[33] 



BELLE ISLE 



* I * HIS island was situated in the James River 
gsspffl| ( '' nS(1 to Richmond, where thousands of hu- 
man beings were confined during the slow 
passing days and nights of January, February and 
March, without shelter of any description, very little 
food and that the meanest imaginable, no fuel and 
not even water to drink except that obtained from 
the river where the cess-pools emptied into the same. 
Then too as though there was not misery enough, 
the Island was infested by a gang of villains who 
were a perfect terror to the place, scoundrels from the 
slums of New York and Baltimore, who having en- 
listed for the bounty, availed themselves of the first 
opportunity to desert to the enemy's lines and he 
taken prisoners, then banded themselves together for 
the purpose of robbing their unfortunate fellow pris- 
oners of whatever articles of value they might be pos- 
sessed, and a more despicable lot of worse than high- 
waymen never drew the breath of life, their plunder 
consisting of shoes and clothing stripped from the sick 
and dying, trinkets from the pockets of the dead, and 
in fact anything they could lay their hands on, the 
booty thus obtained being disposed of to the guards. 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

After a stay of several weeks on this " Isle of Mis- 
ery," we were made glad by the announcement that 
we were to be transferred to another place of confine- 
ment that had been prepared for us in the State of 
( Jeorgia, from the description of which we were led to 
believe it to be a very Paradise in comparison with 
our present place of residence. 80 that when the 
word came to take our departure for this "< harden of 
Eden," it was with as light hearts as could he under 
the circumstances, that we left the island and wended 
our way to the depot of the Georgia Central Hail way, 
where sheep fashion we were loaded into cattle cars 
and started on our journey. 

As we passed through the streets of Richmond, an 
old Irish woman stood in the doorway of her little 
home, waving her handkerchief and calling out, 
"Good bye boys, good bye, and may God take care 
of you down there in Georgia." 

It has been said that " Kind words never die," and 
it's a fact, for we have never forgotten those words of 
cheer and sympathy. 

After a most tiresome ride of three days and nights, 
stopping on the way at Raleigh and Charlotte, North 
Carolina, we reached our destination, Andersonville. 



[37] 



ANDERSONVILLE 



\AT E reached this place on the 25th day of Febru- 
ary, being among the first prisoners to enter 
what turned out to be the worst place of 
human habitation, next to Belle Isle, the sun ever 
shone upon, being nothing more than a twenty-acre 
plot of ground enclosed by an eigh teen-feet-high 
stockade, a narrow sluggish stream of water running 
through the place, and not only had no shelter been 
provided but every tree and bush that might have 
afforded a degree of protection from the burning 
southern sun had been removed. 

This then was the "haven of rest'' that had been 
so glowingly portrayed to us. 

Over the gateway of this " Death Trap" might very 
appropriately have been placed the inscription, "All 
hope abandon he who enters here," and no doubt the 
thought uppermost in the mind of every inmate was, 
"Who, oh who, shall deliver us!" 

The daily allowance of food in this " Lazar house," 
consisted of a small quantity of corn-bread, a bit of 
salt pork and a few worm-eaten dried peas, together 
with all the filthy water from the before-mentioned 
stream we cared to drink. 

[ 38 ] 




«L -£ 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

From the best scientific and practical sources it has 
been ascertained that the amount of solid food neces- 
sary to properly sustain human life is forty-two ounces, 
while the average allowance at Andersonville as at 
Belle Isle was but ten ounces. 

On the other hand it is an established fact that the 
Confederate prisoners of war in Northern prisons 




SHOT AT THE DEAD LINE 



fared extremely well in all respects, as the following 
extract from a diary kept by a Southern woman, 
Miss Rowland, of Richmond, V r a., goes to prove: 

"A large number of Confederate ex-prisoners of war 
arrived in Richmond to-day. All were well dressed, many 
having white shirts and collars and polished boots, and 

[41 ] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

they had as much baggage as they could carry. Some 
having as many as three blankets. All the men appeared 
well and hearty." 

CAPTAIN HENRI WERTZ 

the inhuman scoundrel who was hanged at Washing- 
ton, D. C, at the close of the war for cruel treatment 
of prisoners, was in command at Anderson ville, and 
page upon page could be written of his fiendishness. 
One instance however will suffice to show the heart- 
lessness of the man, it being that of a half-famished 
inmate who having lost a leg in battle, was under the 
necessity of making his way about the enclosure on 
crutches, seeing a small piece of corn bread lying' on 
the ground inside the dead line, where no doubt it 
had been thrown by the guard from his perch on top 
of the stockade, endeavored to reach it with his crutch, 
but the ball from the cruel sentinel's rifle struck the 
starving cripple before he could obtain the coveted 
morsel, and he fell mortally wounded, seeing which 
a companion and myself hastened to render him assist- 
ance, but the same assassin having quickly re-loaded 
his piece, raised it to his shoulder and declared that 
he would shoot the first man who came near the dead 
line. Consequently our comrade writhing in agony 
died before the arrival of Wertz, who having heard 
the report of the gun mounted the stockade, and in a 
loud tone of voice, exclaimed: "That was right, 

[42] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

guard, that was right, and treat every man the same 
way who approaches the dead line." This contri- 
vance consisted of slender stakes driven into the 
ground, sixteen feet from and all around the inside of 
the stockade, witli four-inch-wide pine strips nailed 
on top of the same, and very many of the three thous- 
and guards, a majority of whom were too young to go 
to the front, were only too willing to obey the shoot- 
ing orders of their commanding officer, the official 
account of whose trial and execution on hie at Wash- 
ington contains the following evidence : 

"The said Henri Wertz did combine with others in 
violation of the laws of war, to impair and injure the health, 
and to destroy the lives of prisoners of war, by subjecting 
to torture and suffering, by confining in unhealthy quarters, 
by exposing to the inclemency of winter and to the burn- 
ing sun of summer, by compelling the use of impure water, 
and by furnishing- insufficient and unwholesome food to '■)(),- 
000 Federal prisoners held at Andersonville, Georgia, to 
the end that the armies of the United States might be 
weakened and impaired. The said Wertz, an officer in 
the military service of the so-called Confederate States, 
fully clothed with authority, did neglect to furnish tents, 
barracks or other shelter, and did cause to be taken from 
said prisoners of war their clothing, blankets and other 
property of which they were possessed at the time of being 
placed in his custody, and did refuse to furnish wood for 
cooking purposes, and to keep said prisoners warm in 

[43 ] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

winter, and did compel the said prisoners to use unwhole- 
some water, reeking with the filth and garbage of the prison 
and prison guards, and the offal and drainage of the cook- 
house, whereby the prisoners became greatly reduced in 
bodily strength and many of them sickened and died by 
reason thereof, and that said Wertz did neglect to provide 
proper lodgings, food or nourishment, medicine and medical 
attendance for the sick, and the said Wertz disregarding 
the usages of civilized warfare, did subject the prisoners 




HANGING OF WERTZ 



to cruel and infamous punishment upon the slightest pre- 
tenses, by fastening large balls of iron to their feet, and 
binding numbers of the prisoners close together with chains 
around their wrists and ankles, and being so confined were 
subjected to the burning rays of the sun for days, from 
which cruel treatment numbers fainted and died. And 
said Wertz did further cruelly treat said prisoners by con- 
fining them within an instrument of torture called the 

[44] 



THE BOYS IX BLUE 

stocks, and still pursuing his evil purpose, did keep and 
use bloodhounds to hunt down prisoners who made their 
escape, whereof a number of fugitive prisoners of war were 
cruelly and inhumanly injured, in so much that many died. 
And by direction of said Wertz poisonous vaccine matter 
was deposited in the arms of many prisoners, by reason of 
which large numbers of them lost their arms, and many 
died. All of which the said Wertz maliciously intended 
with a view to assist in impairing the armies of the United 
States, and aid the then existing rebellion, in violation of 
the laws and customs of war." 

This was certainly a strong indictment, and yet not 
more so than the facts warranted. 

To cap the climax of this barbarous state of affairs, 
the old Belle Isle 



GANG OF THIEVES 

having been transferred to Anderson ville, were ply- 
ing their infernal calling here as formerly on the 
island, and the cry of murder could be heard at all 
hours of the day and night. 

But it's "along lane that has no turn," and the 
turning point in this state of affairs was in sight when 
the gates were thrown open and 500 men of the 16th 
Connecticut Volunteers, who had just been taken 
prisoners at Plymouth, North Carolina, were ushered 
into the Stockade. 

[ 45] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

These "fresh fish" having surrendered on condi- 
tion that their personal belongings he not taken from 
them, were not only well dressed, but having recently 
had a pay day were the possessors of greenbacks, 
watches and other articles of value, making them the 
especial prey of the " raiders," which the new arri- 
vals soon discovered to their sorrow, and taking in the 
situation, determined that self-protection demanded 
the extermination of these highwaymen, and acting 
upon this decision, one of the Connecticut men as- 
sumed the leadership and lost no time in forming a 
Vigilance < Jommittee from the pick of his companions, 
each member being armed with a stout club procured 
by permission of Captain Wertz. who seeing prospects 
of an execution taking place, agreed to render what- 
ever assistance might be necessary in order to bring 
about that result. 

The long-term prisoners to whom the thieves were 
well known, accompanied the Committee about the 
grounds pointing out the guilty as they came upon 
them, and with very little ceremony all such were 
taken in charge and placed in the guard house 
located outside the prison enclosure, twenty-six being 
the number thus arrested, whereupon a judge and 
jury were selected, and after a trial lasting several 
days, six of the number were found guilty of murder 
and sentenced to be hanged, ten days being given 
them in which to prepare for the sad event, at the 

[ 48 ] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

expiration of which time a scaffold was erected on an 
elevation within the Stockade, close to the north gate, 
in full view of the entire body of prisoners, thus serv- 
ing as a terrible warning to other miscreants, and 
everything being in readiness the aate was thrown 
open and Wertz, seated on his favorite gray mare, 
rode in, followed by a squad of his men having in 
custody the condemned six, who were at once handed 
over to the Vigilants. Wertz then turning to his 
guards commanded, "about face, forward march," 
and returned to the outside, after which he with others 
mounted the Stockade, and from the sentry boxes 
witnessed the further proceedings. 

During all this time the six men most concerned, 
with one exception, looked upon the whole affair as 
nothing more than an attempt to scare them, appear- 
ing to entertain the idea that all these preparations 
meant nothing serious, and in various ways they en- 
deavored to show that they were not to be thus 
frightened. 

One of the number however fully realized his 
predicament, and at an opportune moment broke 
away from his companions and ran toward the further 
side of the grounds, but the swamp hindered his prog- 
ress, to say nothing of the stockade that confronted 
him on every side, rendering escape altogether out of 
the question, so that he was speedily secured, and 
along with his fellow thugs paid the penalty of his 

[ 49 ] 



TILE BOYS IN BLUE 

atrocious crimes, and Andersonville was freed of six 
as contemptible scoundrels as ever drew the breath of 



. J 



i&^iw -him ^-.,- 

W4 ? p§i. v *:\ -f---^VJ 



111 ^^■ : M r M4w^ 








HUNTING ESCAPED PRISONERS 



life, the cry of murder being no more heard within 
the enclosure. 

On several occasions the 



SMALL-POX 

made its appearance, and numbers of the prisoners 
fell victims to that terrible disease, while hundreds 
more were maimed for life through being inoculated 
with impure virus, by the so-called Confederate doc- 
tors who were mere students. 

[ s " ] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

Typhoid fever, dysentery, pneumonia, gangrene and 
scurvy constantly prevailed to an alarming extent. 

In the month of May a well-organized plan to 
overpower the guards and escape was discovered by 
the authorities and prevented, which no doubt was 
just as well, for in all probability nothing would have 
been gained by the attempt, for though after weeks 
of tunnelling, the implements used being the half of 
a canteen and a spoon or a knife, a prisoner or two 
would succeed in reaching the outside world, they 
were invariably recaptured with the aid of blood- 
hounds, a number of which were kept for the purpose 
of hunting down escaped prisoners. 

Rain fell for twenty-one consecutive days during 
the month of June, and yet this seeming cruelty on 
the part of the elements may have been a blessing in 
disguise, for whether as a result of the downpour or 
not, the fact remains that a very godsend in the form 
of a bubbling spring of clear water made its appear- 
ance at this time, and 



PROVIDENCE SPRING 

as it was christened, continues flowing to this day. 

From the evening of July 3d till the morning of the 
5th. all the inmates were deprived of their usual allow- 
ance of food, the reason as given being that some one 
had stolen a sack of cornmeal from the rations wagon. 

[ 51 ] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

Thirty thousand already half starved men thus 
punished for the alleged wrong doing of one of their 
number, and that too on the Fourth of July. It 
might naturally be supposed that under such a doubly 
depressing condition of affairs, there would be no in- 
clination on the part of the inmates to give expression 
to their patriotic feelings on that ( rlorious Independ- 
ence I >ay, but not so, for this two-fold act of cruelty 



?'■ -k 






\ ^ 




DISCOVERY OF PROVIDENCE SPRING 

only served to spur them on, and throughout the 
cam}) groups of men assembled and raised their weak 
voices in patriotic song, and it was quite refreshing to 
listen to the strains, though feeble, of " My Country 
'Tis of Thee," "The Star Spangled Banner," and 
"Hail Columbia Happy Land," in that " Charnel 
house," while at the same time the inmates indig- 

[52] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

nantly rejected an utter made by an agent of the Con- 
federacy, who put in an appearance just then with a 
proposition to parole all who would agree to work in 
the shoe and other factories throughout the South, the 
emissary no doubt thinking this day of especial fasting 
an opportune time to secure Yankee help, and we at 
once came to the conclusion that the withholding of 
our food was part of a diabolical plot to starve us into 
accepting their offer, but if so they had " reckoned 
without their host." 

It so happened that fresh beef was being furnished 
just at that time instead of the customary salt pork, 
and the allowance intended for consumption on the 
3d of the hot month of duly, having been held over 
until the 5th was as may be supposed, literally alive 
with vermin when finally served, but famishing men 
dare not allow such trifles to stand in the way of satis- 
fying their hunger, and it was devoured with a relish. 

In August the number of prisoners had increased 
to 31,000 and the deaths during that month were 
3,000, overtaxing the grave-diggers to such an extent 
that many bodies remained unburied for, to say the 
least, too great a length of time. 

( areful estimates show that the average duration of 
lite at Andersonville was 95 days, the whole number 
of deaths in this second " Black Hole of Calcutta " ac- 
cording to the official records of the keeper being 
14,ooo. 

[53] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

No wonder that official boasted that he was "doing 
more in the rear for the Confederacy than General 
Lee was doing at the front." 

Dr. Chapin, the government surgeon in charge of 
West's Hospital at Baltimore, where many returned 
Union prisoners were treated, writing to the ( lhairman 
of the United States Senate Investigating Committee, 
regarding the condition of those who came under his 
notice, said : 

" Not one in ten is able to stand alone, and many are so 
emaciated that they are mere living skeletons.''' 

And the 

CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE 

xm the "Conduct of the War," of which Hon. Benj. 
F. Wade was chairman, went to Annapolis and ex- 
amined for themselves the condition of the men who 
had just returned from rebel captivity, and the report 
of that committee to Congress says : 

" The men present the appearance of living skeletons, 
many of them being nothing but skin and bones, some 
are even maimed for life, having been frozen while exposed 
to the inclemency of the winter season on Belle Isle, be- 
ing compelled to lie on the bare ground without tent or 
blankets, some without even coats, notwithstanding the 
winds and storms to which they were exposed, and the 
men declare that they frequently kept from freezing to 

[54 ] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

detitli by walking rapidly back and forth during the hours 
that should have been devoted to sleep. Your Committee 
finds it impossible to describe the deplorable condition of 
those returned prisoners of War." 

Still another Committee, of which Mr. Holmes was 
Chairman reported to Congress as follows : 

'•The prisoners on Belle Isle lived like the savages of 
Africa, being compelled to burrow in the sand for places 
of shelter, while starving- on unwholesome and insufficient 
food. Such was the condition of the brave and heroic 
men who sacrificed their all at the call of their Country." 

Ambrose Spencer, a gentleman who lived close to 
Andersonville, testified in the Wertz trial, that he 

"Visited the Stockade frequently, and the condition of 
the prisoners was as wretched as could be imagined. Not 
only were they exposed to the inclemency of the weather, 
but after days of rain I have seen the mud twelve inches 
deep, and the prisoners compelled to lie in it." 

Rev. Hamilton, the Roman Catholic Priest who 
frequently visited the prison in his official capacity, 
testified at the same trial, that in most cases the sick 
to whom he ministered, 

"Had nothing to lie upon but the ground, and no 
shelter. Early in the morning I have counted as many as 
sixty dead bodies of those who had died during the night."' 

And the official records on file at Washington show 
that of every hundred prisoners taken by the enemy 

[57 ] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

forty died, while the death rate of rebels who fell into 
our hands was but six to the hundred. 

"Cast within the dread enclosure, 
Victims of an earthly hell, 
Racked by hunger and exposure. 
Daily hundreds of them fell." 

Colored prisoners, of whom there were quite a num- 
ber, received no attention whatever at the hands of 
either the keeper or physicians, and it mattered 
not how badly they had been wounded or how 
sick they became, they were not even taken to the 
hospital, while those who wore at all aide were com- 
pelled to dig trenches and perforin other manual labor 
about the place. 

In the latter part of August the writer, having be- 
come a physical wreck, was removed to the 

HOSPITAL 

Which was such in name only, being merely a tive- 
acre piece of woodland, in which a few dilapidated 
tents had been erected, but not half enough to shelter 
the sick and wounded who were brought there, and 
the sights and scenes daily witnessed were beyond 
belief. 

Groaning, moaning, delirious men under every tent 
and tree, and an almost entire absence of medicines, 
rendering death the only hope of relief. 

[ 58] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

A shed known as the " dead house" within sight of 
the so-called hospital, constructed of limits of trees, re- 
ceived the emaciated forms as soon as the breath took 
its departure, a four-mule team being kept busy haul- 
ing the 1 todies of those once stalwart " Boys in Blue," 
a do/en at a time, loaded cord-wood fashion, to the 
shallow trenches, where coffinless and in most cases 




THE CHAIN GANG 

minus every particle of clothing, they were placed 
side by side and the earth filled in upon them. 

On the return trip the same " dead wagon,'' brought 
our food from the cook house to the Stockade and 
hospital. 

A cleverly contrived attempt to escape by way of 
the dead house was made by a prisoner, who con- 

[ 59 ] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

ceived the idea of feigning death in order to accom- 
plish his purpose, and four of his comrades who were 
in the secret and intended trying the same plan in case 
the experiment proved successful, placing the appar- 
ently lifeless body on a stretcher, as was the custom, 
carried the pretender to the dead house, where they 
laid the to all intents and purposes deceased, among 
a number that were not only dead in the true sense, 
but should long ago have been buried, and here he 
remained motionless but with hearing ears and seeing 
eyes, until the shades of night hovered over the place, 
when supposing the coast to be clear, he became very 
much alive and proceeded to make himself scarce 
ar< »und those parts. But the 1 >est laid schemes of men 
often miscarry, and such was the case in this instance, 
for a lynx-eyed sentinel chancing to see our dead- 
alive hero emerge from the shed and make tracks for 
the woods gave the alarm, and lie was recaptured be- 
fore getting any considerable distance, and ordered to 
the chain gang, which was composed of a score or 
more of poor fellows, who, having gained the ill 
will of the keeper, were not only hand-cuffed to- 
gether, but had a ball and chain riveted to their 
ankles, and one of the number having died while 
thus hobbled, the'services of a blacksmith with cold 
chisel and hammer was required in order to re- 
move his shackles and separate the dead from the 
living. 



'is- 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

Another cruel instrument of torture in constant use 
was the " Stocks." 

There was a small band of Christian inmates in the 
Stockade, who daily at sunset held religious service- 
in different parts of the enclosure, and their " Praise 
< rod from "Whom all Blessings Flow" served as a con- 
stant reminder of the great truth, that no matter what 
man's condition in life may be, he has much to be 
thankful for. 

September 8th, information was received that the 
worst cases in the hospital were to be exchanged, which 
was certainly 

GLAD TIDINGS 

of great joy. 

"The heavy hearts grew light, 
And the dim eyes bright," 

at the prospect of seeing home and friends once more, 
so that when the day of deliverance came we took our 
departure for Savannah in tine spirits, which city was 
reached September Loth, the yard connected with the 
county jail serving as a place of confinement for several 
days, while awaiting as we were told, transportation. 
But alas, our fondest hopes were soon crushed, for in- 
stead of proceeding homeward we were again taken by 
train into the interior of the State, and kept under 
strong guard in an open field for ten days, and then 
removed to Florence, South Carolina, and turned 

[61 ] 



TILE BOYS IN BLUE 



into a pen somewhat similar to that at Andersonville, 
though much smaller. 

The wise man Solomon has said that, 

" Hope deferred 
Maketh the heart sick," 

and there never was a truer utterance, as was proven 
on this occasion, for despair taking the place of ex- 
pectation turned our joy to sorrow and hundreds of 
deaths were the result. 

We could never account for this backward move, 
hut suppose there must have been a misunderstanding 







%r 



&] 



m& 



^*'- ■ - 




FLORENCE PRISON PEN 

between the Confederate authorities and our Govern- 
ment. 

The beginning of November we were again taken t<> 
Savannah, and now found the small Confederate 
steamer " Swan" in readiness to convey us to Uncle 

[ «2 ] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

Sam's majestic transport that awaited us on the 
bosom of the broad Atlantic Ocean, which as our 
eyes beheld we were about to salute with "three 
cheers and a tiger," but we were deterred from thus 
giving vent to our feelings by the officer in charge of 
the " Swan " who declared most emphatically that 
he would throw overboard the first " Yankee " who 
opened his mouth. So we held our peace until the 
last man had been safely transferred to our boat, 
when cheer after cheer was given for the old Hag. 

On board the transport every possible provision 
had been made for our comfort and welfare, each man 
after being newly clothed from head to foot, was 
served with beef tea, biscuits and cold meat, a score or 
more of young ladies acting in the capacity of wait- 
resses, and last but by no means least, our weary 
bodies were permitted to repose on soft white cots, so 
that after almost ten long months of a living death, 
our lot had at last been cast in what seemed a very 
" Heaven below." 

Next morning the vessel weighed anchor and pass- 
ing Cape Hatteras, the Rip Raps and Fortress Monroe 
arrived at Annapolis, Aid., the 19th day of November, 
where a band of music and a great gathering of people 
awaited our coming, many being fathers, mothers, 
wives, sisters and friends from all parts of the country, 
expecting to meet loved ones, but not a few were 
doomed to disappointment, for instead of greeting 

[ 63 ] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

those who were near and dear to them, they received 
the sorrowful news that their bodies lie beneath the 
southern sands. Consequently many heart-rending 
scenes were witnessed, the saddest being that of a 
mother who on being told that her boy had long since 
died, became hopelessly insane, and for weeks there- 
after she was reported as making daily visits to the 
landing, where for hours she stood and looked out 
over the water for him who would never return. 



[ B4 ] 



ANDERSONVILLE TO-DAY 



*** 



I 



S a flag station on the Georgia Central Rail- 



way 



The burial ground of twenty-five acres, a 
mile distant from the prison pen, was secured by the 
United States Government soon after the close of the 
war, and has been nicely laid out, a suitably inscribed 
head-stone marking each grave, while from a flag staff 
the standard of our re-united country constantly 
waves over the last resting-place of the fourteen thous- 
and brave men and true, who there perished rather 
than that Secession should triumph. A resident su- 
perintendent in the employ of the ( Government is con- 
stantly in attendance to look after the grounds and 
receive visitors. 

Fifteen years ago the prison site proper was bought 
by the Department of Georgia, Grand Army of the 
Republic, to be forever preserved as a sacred object 
lesson in patriotism of the days that tried men's souls, 
and nine years ago the property was turned over to 
the "Woman's Relief Corps," and that auxiliary to 
the Grand Army has since purchased the adjoining- 
land, on which was located the fortifications and 
hospital, the entire possession containing eighty-eight 



acres. 



[ 67 ] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

The old stockade having been destroyed by relic 
seekers and the hand of time, a substantial wire fence 
and iron urates now enclose the grounds, thousands of 
dollars having been expended in preserving and 
beautifying the place, while a fund is now being estab- 
lished for the perpetual care of the property. 

Miss Clara Barton, of "Red Cross" fame, who was 
familiar with the conditions at Andersonville, in a 
recent letter to the publisher of " Boys in Blue/' says: 

"Men never suffered more and lived ; men never died 
more nobly. I believe that if the trumpet of the great 
archangel could sound, calling the patriot-dead of the 
world to rise, that fourteen thousand men would stand on 
their feet within the cemetery lines of Andersonville, as 
worthily, justly and honored as the ancient heroes of 
( rreece and Rome." 

Let us hope that suffering and death such as was 
the lot of the Union soldiers and sailors at Belle Isle 
and Andersonville, may never again be known to us 
or to any people. 

On the 9th day of April, 1865, Gen. Robert E. Lee 
surrendered to ( Jen. U. S. Grant at Appomattox Court 
House, Virginia. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston handed 
his sword to Gen. W. T. Sherman at Savannah, 
Georgia, on the 26th day of the same month, and ( Jen. 
Kirby Smith laid down his arms in Texas one month 
later, when 

[ (;s ] 




PEACE 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 



PEACE 

was declared and the mighty conflict, during which 
rivers of blood were shed and billions of dollars ex- 
pended was at an end, and the oft expressed desire of 
the great chieftain Grant " Let us have peace" was 
realized. 

The four years of unprecedented struggle having 
witnessed the success of good government, the secur- 
ing of freedom to 4,000,000 human beings who had 
been held in bondage and the preservation of the 
Union, all sections of our beloved country have be- 
come more firmly than ever welded together, and the 
American Eagle has made itself heard and respected 
the world over as never before. 

May the watchword of North, South, East and 
West ever more be " Long Live the Republic." 

With the cessation of hostilities the army and navy 
were rapidly disbanded, and more than a million 
survivors were mustered out of the United States ser- 
vice, many of whom bore the scars of battle or other 
evidences of the hardships and dangers through which 
they had passed. 



[ 71 ] 



GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC 



IT T was then that the Grand Army of the Re- 
_™g public sprang into existence, and soon became 
" one of the greatest fraternal and charitable 
organizations the world ever knew, the first Post hav- 
ing been organized by Dr. B. F. Stephenson, at Deca- 
tur, 111., April 6th, 18ti6, with Fraternity, Charity and 
Loyalty as its principles, the objects of the order 
being 

" To preserve and strengthen those kind and fraternal 
feelings which bind together soldiers, sailors and marines 
who united to suppress the late rebellion, and to perpetuate 
the memory of the dead. 

" To assist such former comrades in arms as need help 
and protection, and to extend needful aid to the widows and 
orphans of those who have fallen. 

" To maintain true allegiance to the United States of 
America, based upon a paramount respect for fidelity to its 
Constitution and Laws ; to discountenance whatever tends 
to weaken loyalty, incites insurrection, treason and rebel- 
lion or in any manner impairs the efficiency and permanency 
of our free institutions ; and to encourage the spread of 
universal liberty, equal rights and justice to all men." 

How well these noble aims have been lived up to 
is a part of the history of the country, for through the 

[ 72] 




%&Qk 







'PIES OF THE GRAND 



THE GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

instrumentality of the Grand Army of the Republic, 
just pension and other important legislation, in the 
interest of former comrades and their widows and 
orphans, has been enacted. State and national homes 
for the aged and needy were established, to the end 
that no man who wore the Union blue need spend bis 
days in an almshouse. Schools for the mental, moral 
and physical education of the veterans' children are 
provided, and measures have been adopted whereby 
every honorably discharged soldier and sailor is 
assured a respectable Christian burial, his grave being 
properly marked and forever kept green. 

in addition to all this the hundreds of thousands 
of dollars dispensed in charity by the Grand Army of 
the Republic is something the world knows nothing 
about, and the good work of this brotherhood will go 
on until the last comrade has been mustered into the 
Grand Army above. 

In this organization there is perfect equality, no 
distinction being made on account of nationality, 
creed, color or politics, nor is there preference by 
reason of former rank in the service or present sta- 
tion in life, all that is asked of an applicant for 
membership is " Did he respond to his country's 
call in the days of its life and death struggle, and 
faithfully fulfill his obligation to the Government." 
If the answer be "yes," the right hand of fellowship 
is extended. 

[ 75] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

It is certainly a proud privilege to be numbered 
among the men who are permitted to wear the "cap- 
tured cannon metal bronze badge," that tells to the 
world that the wearer is one of the loyal brave and 
true, who not only offered his life that our country 
might be kept undivided, and the 



STARS AND STRIPES 

remain unsullied, but in times of peace stood sentinel 
over the welfare of the comrade who with him shared 
the perils of the conflict, and followed the flag to 
victory, the same flag that tradition tells us General 
George Washington drew a rough sketch of, immedi- 
ately after the Continental Congress on the 14th day 
of June, 1777, passed its memorable resolution that 
"The flag of the United States be thirteen Stripes, 
alternate red and white, that the Union be thirteen 
White Stars in a blue field, representing a new con- 
stellation." And which we are further informed he 
who was " First in war, first in peace, and first in the 
hearts of his countrymen," took to Miss Betsy Ross 
in order that she might make the first "Star Spangled 
Banner," but that lady suggesting that the stars would 
be more regular in appearance, as well as less difficult 
of construction, if made with five points instead of six 
as in the drawing, folded a scrap of paper in such a 

[ 76 ] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

manner that a single cut with the scissors produced a 
five pointed star of beautiful proportions, which was 
at once adopted by the Committee, and for sixty years 
thereafter Miss Ross made all the Hags used by the 




Government, the original design being maintained 
until two newly admitted States, Kentucky and Ver- 
mont, claimed representation on the Nation's Banner, 

[ " ] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

which Congress, in 1794, altered so as to consist of 
fifteen red and white stripes, with a corresponding 
number of stars, arranged in three rows of five 
each, and under this ensign was fought the War of 
1812. 

The additional creation of new commonwealths, 
however, saw again destroyed the numerical corre- 
spondence between the elements of the Hag and the 
members of the Union. So that by the year 1818 the 
five additional States of Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, 
Indiana and Mississippi, having been admitted into 
the Union, a further change in the flag became 
necessary, and Congress decided on April 4th of that 
year that after the Fourth of July next following, the 
same should consist of " thirteen stripes, alternate 
red and white, with a union of twenty white stars on 
a field of blue, and that upon the admission of each 
new State into the Union an additional star be added 
to the flag." 

Thus by a wise provision of legislation the original 
form of our national standard, emblematic of the 
thirteen States of the Revolution was perpetuated, 
and the addition of a star as each State was admitted 
to the Union gave proper recognition to all and makes 
" Old Glory " a significant emblem of the growth and 
power of the country. 

An interesting fact perhaps not generally known, 
connected with the history of the flag is that up to 

[78] 



THE BOYS IN BLUE 

the close of the War of the Rebellion not a thread 
of bunting was made in the United States, all such 
material having been imported from Europe, but on 
the 21st day of February, 18(H), Gen. B. F. Butler 
presented to Congress a genuine American bunting 
Stars and Stripes, being the first ever made, and it 
was unfurled over the Capitol. 

Since then all flags required by the government are 
made in this country, consequently American in every 
sense of the word. 



"E PLURIBUS UNUM." 



[ 79] 



H 99 78 






-V » ■ - "* -^ 
































































































































